Magazine (band)
Magazine | |
|---|---|
 Magazine performing at the Hop Farm Festival, 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Manchester,England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1977–1981, 2009–2011 |
| Labels | |
| Past members | Howard Devoto John McGeoch Barry Adamson Martin Jackson Bob Dickinson Dave Formula Paul Spencer John Doyle Robin Simon Ben Mandelson Noko Jonathan "Stan" White |
Magazinewere a Britishrockband formed in 1977 in Manchester in England by singerHoward Devotoand guitaristJohn McGeoch.After leaving thepunkgroupBuzzcocksin early 1977, Devoto decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band. The original lineup of Magazine was composed of Devoto, McGeoch,Barry Adamsonon bass, Bob Dickinson on keyboards andMartin Jacksonon drums.
Their debut album,Real Life(1978), was critically acclaimed and was one of the firstpost-punkalbums. After releasing two other albums,Secondhand DaylightandThe Correct Use of Soap,McGeoch left the band in 1980 to joinSiouxsie and the Banshees.Magazine released another studio album and disbanded in 1981. All four of their albums reached the top 40 on theUK Albums Chart.
They reunited in 2009 for a UK tour withNokoon guitar. Magazine released an album of new material,No Thyself,in October 2011, followed by a short UK tour.
Magazine have been cited as an influence by bands and musicians such asSimple Minds,the Smiths,Radiohead,PulpandJohn Frusciante.
History[edit]
Devoto formed Magazine inManchester,shortly after he leftBuzzcocksin early 1977. In April 1977, he met guitarist McGeoch, then an art student, and they began writing songs, some of which would appear on the first Magazine album.[1]They then recruitedBarry Adamsonon bass, Bob Dickinson on keyboards andMartin Jackson(previously ofthe Freshies) on drums, forming the first lineup of the band. After signing toVirgin Records,Magazine played their debut live gig at Rafters in Manchester on 28 October 1977.[citation needed]
"Motorcade" co-writer Dickinson, whose background was inclassicalandavant-garde music,[citation needed]left shortly after several gigs in late 1977. In early 1978, the band released their first single, "Shot by Both Sides",a song Magazine recorded as a quartet. It featured a guitar-bass-drums sound similar topunk rock.[citation needed]Shortly after the single's release,Dave Formula,who had played with a briefly successful 1960s rock band from Manchester calledSt. Louis Union,[citation needed]joined as keyboardist. "Shot by Both Sides" used a chord progression suggested byPete Shelley,which was also used in theBuzzcockstrack "Lipstick".[2]The Magazine single just missed the UK top 40.[3]The band, with Formula on keyboards, made its first major TV appearance onTop of the Popsin February 1978, performing the single.[citation needed]
Following a British tour to promote their debut album,Real Life(which made the UK top 30),[3]Jackson left Magazine in late July. He was replaced briefly by Paul Spencer, who performed with the band for gigs across Europe and some television appearances, includingThe Old Grey Whistle Test,where they played "Definitive Gaze". Spencer quit partway through the tour, joiningthe Speedometorsshortly afterwards. He was replaced in October byJohn Doyle,who completed theReal Lifepromotional tour and remained in the band.[4]
Magazine's second album,Secondhand Daylight,was released in 1979, reaching the UK top 40.[3]The album featured a greater use of synthesisers. That same year, McGeoch, Adamson and Formula joined electronic projectVisage,recording and releasing the single "Tar".[citation needed]
After the release ofSecondhand Daylight,Devoto decided to change producers.[citation needed]He choseMartin Hannett,who produced their next album,The Correct Use of Soap,released the following year and again making the top 30, while the single "Sweetheart Contract" was a minor success on the singles chart.[3]Following its release, McGeoch left the band, tired of Magazine's low sales and their less guitar-oriented songs.[citation needed]He soon joinedSiouxsie and the Banshees.To replace him, the band hiredRobin Simon,who had been inUltravoxandNeo.That lineup toured Europe and Australia, recording their next release, the live albumPlay.Simon made some initial recordings and rehearsals for what would be the next Magazine album, including co-writing the song "So Lucky", but he left the band before the album was released so that he could record theJohn Foxxsolo albumThe Garden.[citation needed]
Again without a guitarist, Devoto called in his former college friend atBolton,Ben Mandelson(a formerAmazorbladesmember). This lineup completed the 1981 recording of the band's fourth studio album,Magic, Murder and the Weather,but Devoto quit that May, months before its release, and the remaining members disbanded. A year later,After the Fact,the first Magazine compilation, was released.
Adamson continued collaborating with Visage, and also began to work with Shelley,the Birthday PartyandNick Cave and the Bad Seeds.Jackson later played withthe Chameleons,Swing Out Sisterandthe Durutti Column.Formula continued as a member of Visage and joinedLudus,and Mandelson joinedthe Mekons.[5]Doyle joinedthe Armoury Showin Scotland in 1983, which also featured McGeoch; the latter later played guitar forPublic Image Ltd.After a brief solo outing and two albums withLuxuria,Devoto quit music to become a photo archivist, until a new collaboration with Shelley produced theBuzzkunstalbum in 2002. McGeoch died in 2004, aged 48.[6]
Reunion[edit]
In February 2009, Devoto and Magazine re-formed for five performances. The lineup included Devoto, Formula, Adamson and Doyle. TheRadioheadguitaristJonny Greenwood,a Magazine fan, declined an offer to fill in for McGeoch. According to the Radiohead collaboratorAdam Buxton,Jonny was "overwhelmed" and too shy to accept the role.[7]Noko,Devoto's bandmate in Luxuria, was the guitarist on the tour.[citation needed]
The shows were sold out and received acclaim.[8][9][10]The group went on to play at festivals in the UK and abroad that summer, before performing "The Soap Show" in Manchester, Edinburgh and London. The band played two sets: a performance ofThe Correct Use of Soapin full, followed by a set composed of other songs from their catalogue.
In January 2010, Noko officially joined the band, becoming a full member of Magazine. The band started work on new material. In November 2010, Adamson left to concentrate on his film work and solo recordings. Jon "Stan" White joined as bass player on the new recordings and debuted live on 30 June 2011 atWolverhamptonSlade Rooms, where Magazine were playing a warm-up show for theirHop Farm Festivalappearance two days later.
A new studio album,No Thyself,was released worldwide by Wire Sound on 24 October 2011, and the band embarked on a UK tour in November. On 16 April 2016, as part ofRecord Store Day,the band releasedOnce at the Academy,a live 5-track 12 "EP recorded at their reunion shows atManchester Academyin February 2009.
Legacy[edit]
Magazine was an influence on the fledglingSimple Minds,who supported them on a 1979 tour and much later covered "A Song from Under the Floorboards".[11][12]TheRadioheadguitaristJonny Greenwoodnamed McGeoch his biggest guitar influence, and said that Magazine's songwriting "informs so much of what we do".[13]Radiohead performed a cover of "Shot By Both Sides" in 2000.[14]
Johnny Marrofthe Smithscited Magazine as an influence, particularly McGeoch's guitar work.[15][16]The Smiths singer,Morrissey,covered "A Song from Under the Floorboards" as aB-sideto his 2006 single "The Youngest Was the Most Loved"."Floorboards "was also covered byMy Friend the Chocolate Cakeon their 1994 albumBrood.MGMTplayed a version of "Burst" on tour in 2011.[17]
Jarvis CockerofPulppraisedReal Lifesaying: "this was such an important record for the time because it showed that you could still do something that had attack to it combined with a real intelligence, without going into ponce territory".[18]The band and their singer/lyricist Howard Devoto has also been cited as an influence on several 1980s bands, such asChina Crisis[19]andFiction Factory.[20]
Lolita Poprecorded a cover of "A Song from under the Floorboards" on 1989'sLove Poison.Half Man Half Biscuithave performed live covers of a number of Magazine songs. "The Light Pours Out of Me" was covered by several acts includingPeter Murphy,Ministry,the Mission,Sleep ChamberandZero Boys.The bandNo Fun at Alldid a cover of "Shot by Both Sides" on their recordAnd Now for Something Completely Different.Mansuncovered "Shot by Both Sides" forJohn Peelsessions.Duff McKagancitedReal Lifeas an influence, particularly on tracks where achorus effectis used.[21]
Members[edit]
Classic line-up
- Howard Devoto– lead vocals(1977–1981, 2009–2011)
- John McGeoch– guitar(1977–1980)
- Barry Adamson– bass guitar(1977–1981, 2009–2010)
- Dave Formula– keyboards(1977–1981, 2009–2011)
- John Doyle– drums(1978–1981, 2009–2011)
Other members
- Martin Jackson– drums(1977–1978)
- Bob Dickinson – keyboards(1977)
- John Scott – guitar(1977)
- Paul Spencer – drums(1978)
- Robin Simon– guitar(1980)
- Ben Mandelson– guitar(1981)
- Noko– guitar(2009–2011)
- Jonathan "Stan" White – bass guitar(2010–2011)
Timeline[edit]
Discography[edit]
| Magazine discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 5 |
| Live albums | 4 |
| Compilation albums | 7 |
| Video albums | 2 |
| Music videos | 6 |
| EPs | 1 |
| Singles | 12 |
The Magazine discography consists of five studio albums, four live albums, seven compilation albums, two video albums, one extended play and 10 singles.
All titles were released by Virgin Records, except where indicated.
Studio albums[edit]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [22] |
AUS [23] | ||||
| 1978 | Real Life | 29 | ― | ||
| 1979 | Secondhand Daylight | 38 | ― | ||
| 1980 | The Correct Use of Soap | 28 | 98 | ||
| 1981 | Magic, Murder and the Weather | 39 | 95 | ||
| 2011 | No Thyself
|
167 | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Live albums[edit]
| Year | Title | UK [22] |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Play | 69 |
| 1993 | BBC Radio 1 in Concert
|
— |
| 2009 | Real Life & Thereafter | — |
Live And Intermittent (Restored And Remastered) (08.79 + 09.79 + 09.80)
|
— | |
| 2016 | Once at the Academy(EP)
|
— |
Singles[edit]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [22] |
US Dance [24] | ||||
| 1978 | "Shot by Both Sides" | 41 | — | Real Life | |
| "The Light Pours Out Of Me" | — | — | |||
| "Touch and Go"[25] | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Give Me Everything" | — | — | |||
| 1979 | "Rhythm of Cruelty" | — | — | Secondhand Daylight | |
| "Believe That I Understand" | — | — | |||
| 1980 | "A Song from Under the Floorboards" | — | — | The Correct Use of Soap | |
| "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" | — | 42 | |||
| "Upside Down" | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| Sweetheart Contract(EP) | 54 | — | The Correct Use of Soap | ||
| 1981 | "About the Weather" | — | — | Magic, Murder and the Weather | |
| 2011 | "Hello Mr Curtis"
|
— | — | No Thyself | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
Compilation albums[edit]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1982 | After the Fact |
| 1987 | Rays and Hail 1978–1981: The Best of Magazine |
| 1990 | Scree – Rarities 1978–1981 |
| 2000 | Where the Power Is |
| Maybe It's Right to Be Nervous Now | |
| 2008 | The Complete John Peel Sessions |
| 2009 | Touch & Go: Anthology 02. 78–06. 81 |
Video albums[edit]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1989 | Magazine(VHS) |
| 2009 | Real Life & Thereafter DVD/CD
|
Music Videos[edit]
1978[edit]
- Motorcade
- The Light Pours Out Of Me
- Touch And Go
1979[edit]
- Feel The Enemy
- Cut Out Shapes
1981[edit]
- About The Weather
Further reading[edit]
- Chase, Helen (2009).Magazine: The Biography.Northumbria Press.ISBN978-1-904794-36-3.
- Sullivan-Burke, Rory (April 2022).The Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorised Biography of John McGeoch.Omnibus Press.ISBN978-1913172664.
See also[edit]
- List of new wave artists
- List of Peel sessions
- List of post-punk bands
- Music of the United Kingdom (1970s)
References[edit]
- ^Real LifeCD album reissue booklet (2007).
- ^Perry, Andrew (11 February 2009)."Howard Devoto makes a comeback with his inspirational band, Magazine".The Daily Telegraph.London. Archived fromthe originalon 18 May 2014.Retrieved29 December2014.
- ^abcd"Magazine".Official Charts.
- ^Secondhand Daylightalbum reissue booklet (2007).
- ^Strong, M. C., ed. (1998).The Great Rock Discography.Giunti. p. 112.ISBN88-09-21522-2.
- ^Simpson, Dave (12 March 2004)."Obituary: John McGeoch".The Guardian.London.Retrieved17 April2021.
- ^Thiessen, Brock (21 July 2009)."Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood" Too Shy "to Join Reunited Post-Punks Magazine".Exclaim!.Archivedfrom the original on 15 September 2016.Retrieved23 June2016.
- ^Petridis, Alexis (14 February 2009)."Magazine: Forum, London".The Guardian.London.Retrieved29 December2014.
- ^"Magazine – 'These gigs are a cherry on a cake'".The Independent.London. 20 February 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 27 February 2009.Retrieved29 December2014.
- ^Paphides, Pete (16 February 2009)."Magazine at the Forum, London NW5".The Times.Archived from the original on 17 June 2011.Retrieved29 December2014.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^Jim Kerr (11 February 2009)."The Mighty Magazine".simpleminds.com.
- ^"A Song from Under the Floorboards".Dream Giver Redux.
- ^Greenwood, Jonny (11 February 2009).""I've been blown about for years"".Dead Air Space.Radiohead.com. Archived fromthe originalon 21 March 2009.Retrieved10 February2022.
- ^Bartleet, Larry (4 October 2016)."11 times Radiohead covered other artists' songs brilliantly".NME.Retrieved28 February2022.
- ^Freeman, John (16 June 2015)."Rubber Rings: Johnny Marr's Favourite Albums".The Quietus.Retrieved11 January2020.
- ^Nash, Ed (1 June 2018)."Nine Songs: Johnny Marr".The Line of Best Fit.Retrieved11 January2020.
- ^"beatfest2011 – MGMT – Burst"on YouTube, uploaded by soundshineevents on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^"Magazine –Real Life– Jarvis Cocker ".NME.30 August 2018.Retrieved11 January2020.
- ^China Crisis exclusive Louder Than War interview,Louder Than War,14 June 2018
- ^Zappa, François (3 August 2022)."Interview: Fiction Factory".El Garaje de Frank.Retrieved7 September2022.
- ^"Issue 66".Bass Guitar Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 7 January 2012.
- ^abc"Magazine".Official Charts.Retrieved18 March2015.
- ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 188.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
- ^"Magazine".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2020.Retrieved3 July2019.
- ^"Magazine – Touch And Go (Vinyl)".Discogs. 14 April 1978.Retrieved14 October2016.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
